Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel filler lid device and in more detail, relates to an opened/closed state detection portion of a fuel filler lid.
Description of the Related Art
In a prior-art fuel storing device mounted on a vehicle and the like, as a technology for preventing emission of a fuel evaporative gas evaporated in a fuel tank into the atmosphere, a canister communicating with the fuel tank and a sealing valve controlled so as to seal the fuel tank are provided in a path having the fuel tank and the canister communicate with each other, and the sealing valve is opened in fueling so that the fuel evaporative gas flows out toward the canister and the fuel evaporative gas is adsorbed by the canister.
If the fuel tank is sealed by the sealing valve as in this fuel storing device, the fuel in the fuel tank evaporates with a rise of an outside air temperature, and a pressure in the fuel tank might become high due to the fuel evaporative gas. Moreover, there is a concern that the fuel evaporative gas is emitted into the atmosphere with opening of a lid of a fuel filler of the fuel tank in fueling.
Thus, in order to prevent emission of the fuel evaporative gas into the atmosphere involved in fueling, a fuel filler lid device which can lock the fuel filler lid covering a fuel filler of the fuel tank in the closed state is provided, and when an opening operation of the fuel filler lid is performed by a switch or the like, the sealing valve is opened before the fuel filler lid is unlocked so that the fuel evaporative gas is made to flow out and the pressure in the fuel tank is sufficiently lowered (see Japanese Patent No. 4082263).
Vehicles of a type having a fuel filler lid include those having an opening/closing sensor for detecting opened/closed state of the fuel filler lid. For example, at a time other than fueling such as during vehicle running, if an open state of the fuel filler lid is detected, an alarm prompting closing of the fuel filler lid is performed.
Then, as in the above-described Patent Literature 1, in the fuel filler lid device which can lock an opened/closed state of the fuel filler lid, it is desired that detection of both the open state and a closed state of the fuel filler lid can be made with a compact configuration with a smaller number of components.
Moreover, in the fuel filler lid device as in the above-described Patent Literature 1, an actuator for unlocking the fuel filler lid is provided.
In the fuel filler lid device having the actuator and the opening/closing sensor as above, it is desired that a failure of the actuator, abnormality such that the fuel filler lid is stuck or the like can be detected with a simple configuration.
Moreover, in order to handle a situation in which the actuator for unlocking the fuel filler lid fails and the fuel filler lid cannot be brought into the open state, there is a device provided with an emergency lever (forced unlocking portion) which can manually unlock the fuel filler lid.
However, in the fuel filler lid device having the sensor for detecting the opened/closed state of the fuel filler lid as above, if the fuel filler lid is unlocked manually by the emergency lever, there is a concern that the opened/closed state of the fuel filler lid cannot be detected normally and an unnecessary alarm or the like is given.